I add just a touch of salt to the top of my coffee....but there is whip on it!!

Just buy good coffee and you would not have to counteract the bitterness. BTW, I have never done this.

My Great-Auntie Hilda used to add salt to her coffee - but I thought it was just because she was a little eccentric...!

Never tried it myself

Rather than salt, I sometimes add cinnamon chunks to the grounds before brewing. Gives it nice flavor without being overpowering.

I do add salt to my coffee when I brew it. I think it brings out the flavor the same way it brings out the flavor of other foods. But you definitely want to be careful not to add too much because that will make your coffee taste salty... which is gross. It only takes a teeny bit.

my uncle buys the cheapest coffee (they drink A LOT of it), and makes it fabulous. he swears it's cardamom.

Ha! Ever read The Lady Who Put Salt in her Coffee, in The Peterkin Papers?:

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hale/papers/salt.html

I always add in a pinch of salt when I use my french press. Like breakfast said, it amplifies the flavor of anything you put it in...

I'm not sure how much it would counteract bitterness. It seems like it would amplify that flavor as well.

No way :-) No salt in the coffee, please. Cardamom is fantastic, but it's not coffee. Or better, not in italian way.

I love adding just a bit of cinnamon also - gives it a nice spiciness, especially nice on fall and winter mornings.

In the evening, Sugar, Half-n-Half, & Jack Daniels is a nice combo.

It's all about adding cinnamon! When I make people coffee, I always make sure to add my secret ingredient-just a pinch. It's usually not even powerful enough for them to pinpoint WHAT they like so much about it, but they always comment on it being sooo good! :)

I add a pinch of salt into my coffee all the time. Have done so for a while now. Coworkers think I'm a little weird, but I swear it fixes the crap the office likes to call "coffee". At home I just buy good coffee instead.

I put a little bit of unsweetened cocoa to my grounds - I think the cocoa enhances coffee flavor.

I also like to add some cinnamon to my coffee grounds. Nutmeg is very good also, either with or instead of the cinnamon. The cocoa idea sounds great as well.

Salt in coffee seems to bring out the high sour notes in the blend at the expense of the bitter lowlights. I think it depends on personal preference. From experience I would say that if you like South/Latin American blends then you might like a pinch of salt in your coffee. Personally it's not my favorite. But why not try it?

I buy either Vietnamese (for filter coffee) or Italian or Austrian coffee for espresso, and none of them needs any enhancements.

My grandmother always put a pinch of mustard in her coffee grounds- I think it may have been a Depression era trick to make poor quality coffee taste better. I don't do it myself, but am lucky to live in Seattle amongst coffee roasting superheros.

Note- EVERY restaurant does this. You've already been drinking coffee with salt in it. Ha!

I have worked in plenty of restaurants and never added salt to the coffee.

herzsprung, you're right. in the espresso no salt permitted! :-)

Wow...I've ever only added coffee to my coffee!
:)

Cooks Illustrated just recommended this in the current issue, too.

My Grandmother does the mustard powder thing. I bet it's the same idea as salt - to cut the bitterness.

I heard some people add salt to cut down on the acidity of the coffee. It prevents an acidy stomach or heartburn.
I personally prefer a dash of cayenne pepper stirred in with a cinnamon stick.

I've heard that adding salt neutralizes the acid tannin, which is also neutralized with the addition of cream or milk.

My mother does this. I think it helps make the cheap grounds she buys taste less bitter. She adds a tiny, tiny bit of salt (a few grains) to each cup after brewing.

I have heard this also, but don't know if there's any truth. I don't notice a difference but maybe my palette is not that sophisticated. I like the ideas of adding cinnamon or cardamon to the brew though!

Where's a food scientist when you need 'em? Aren't we trying to avoid added salt whenever possible?

I've heard this referred to as "Navy" coffee - possibly because sailors might have used a little salt water in the mix?

Regardless - it does act as a flavour enhancer - in very tiny quantities. ALSO very good if you have to drink bad coffee - or instant. I find a few grains in the bottom of the cup or with the grinds works wonders.

Not far from my home in central Texas is a small restaurant in the Texas Hill Country town of Kerrville which has the best tasting coffee that I ever had. On the walls of this establishment were numerous plaques and awards from various organizations proclaiming the best coffee in the hill country.

I asked my waitress what their secret was to the fantastic tasting coffee and she told me that they always used salt when they brewed the coffee. The brand that they used was not some high dollar gourmet coffee, but a common off the shelf brand. Since that day, I have always added a pinch of salt to all of my coffee. It is amazing what it does to the flavor of those big coffee chain offerings!